Rejection
by Inglourias
Summary: "You're attracted to me and it scares you. You're afraid to admit that I'm good for you. I take you out of your comfort zone and it makes you feel more alive than you've ever felt before. But I'm not the good guy. I'm the one who's not afraid to get his hands dirty or solve problems the easy way. If you could just accept who I am…"


Rejection

Author's Note: Thanks for reading. I've felt like I need to sharpen my writing skills so I went to a list of 100 themes, picked a number between 1-100 and wrote on the topic; hence, why this is just a one shot bit of prose. Maybe after a few more pieces of prose, I will once again feel confident to write a complete story. My first (only) one only took like 6 years to complete.. Oh, well. Enjoy!

She stood in a pool of moonlight on the regal stone terrace of the Salvatore manor, the wind caressed her skin as she closed her eyes. She listened to the trees, their leaves and branches crashing, together with the sounds of night; music to her ears. She used to love the night, spending balmy summer evenings with her best friends, lying out in the grass under the stars. Things had been simple then. Now she knew what lurked in the dark, right on the edge of her vision. Monsters, werewolves, and vampires. They had been there the whole time. She had dealt with enough of these creatures to last her a lifetime, but there were two she could not bear to part with. She was hopelessly in love with two vampires. Even worse, vampire brothers who both loved her back. But how do you choose between two halves of your heart? A perfect solution was impossible. Someone was going to get hurt.. Horribly.. And it was going to happen shortly.

A chill went up her spine as the wind buffeted her long black hair around her. A moment later she was wrapped up in a warm, light, cashmere throw. It smelled like him.

"Better?" A deep voice asked. She could easily hear the subtle playfulness that always danced beneath his words.

She smiled and turned to meet those icy blue eyes she knew so well. "Yes, Damon. Thank you."

She watched him saunter over to the edge of the balcony and take a seat on the cold stone banister. He was wearing his usual tight black t-shirt and dark jeans. He smirked, fully aware of her eyes on him.

A knot slowly grew in her stomach as she thought of what she was about to say. She was about to destroy him. A man she loved dearly.

"Damon," she sighed. "We need to talk."

"Do we?" He asked nonchalantly. He wasn't going to make this easy, but she hadn't expected he would.

She began slowly, "Ever since that night we… kissed.. I've been doing a lot of thinking… About you and Stefan." She sat down beside him.

"Let me stop you right there, Elena. I know exactly where this is going. We've been here many times before." His eyes flashed as he narrowed his brow. "You're going to tell me that you were confused and kissing me was a mistake and you don't have any feelings for me, which we both know is all complete bullshit. You're just too afraid to make a decision because it means you'll lose one of us forever.

You're drawn to Stefan because he's the obvious, safe, boring choice."

She started to interject, but Damon held up his finger to silence her. "Let me finish." He looked way momentarily, then once again met her deep, dark eyes. She could almost see the fire smoldering in his eyes.

"You're attracted to me and it scares you. You're afraid to admit that I'm good for you. I take you out of your comfort zone and it makes you feel more alive than you've ever felt before. But I'm not the good guy. I'm the one who's not afraid to get his hands dirty or solve problems the easy way. If you could just accept who I am…"

He reached out and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. He grazed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Elena, you must see that we're perfect for each other."

She turned away and swallowed hard. She couldn't argue with what he said, it was all true and she knew it. But she had made her decision weeks ago, she had to be strong. It would be best for everyone.

"I have never felt this strongly in my life." He continued softly. "When you're around, you just have this effect on me. I can't control myself and it makes me crazy. I would do anything just to hear you say you love me."

She met his gaze reluctantly. She had never seen him so vulnerable and completely open.

"It wasn't meant to be, Damon." It took everything she had to keep from choking up. "I just don't feel that way."

"That's a lie!" He stood up abruptly and began pacing in front of her. "You are the single most infuriating person on this planet. You're too stubborn and selfless and caring for your own good. It sickens me."

"Oh, I sicken you now?" Elena was taken aback.

"Yes. It sickens me because I am so madly in love with you. I flipped the switch for you. I started feeling and I hate it. I like being a stone cold remorseless killer. It's fun. But you…"

He paused and looked down at her. "You're everything I'm not and could never hope to be. And you're too worried about hurting everyone's feelings that you won't even listen to your own heart. Yes, someone is going to get hurt, but that's life. Stefan and I are used to it. Do what makes you happy for once."

Elena stared down at her shoes. She mustered all of her strength. "I'm going to leave. After high school. I'm going to sell the house, go to college far far away, and I'm never going to look back."

"No you're not," he scoffed. "Everything you know is here."

"No," she looked up, her face half veiled in shadows. "Everything I _knew_ died here. Everywhere I look is a reminder of someone I loved being killed. There is nothing but pain here for me. I have to leave Mystic Falls. I have to leave you two as well. I've made my choice, and I choose neither of you."

He narrowed his eyes, "What?"

"If I stay with Stefan, I will live every day of my life thinking about you. If I choose you, same problem. I choose neither and we all hurt for a bit, but we all move on."

He knelt in front of her and took her hands in his, then held them to his lips. He took a deep breath and gazed up at her face. "I waited over a hundred years to find you. If you leave… If you're gone… There's nothing left for me."

She swallowed, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "I look at you and all I see is death." She stood and moved towards the door. "That's my decision and it's final."

Before she knew it, his arms were around her, pressing her tightly to his chest. He buried his face in her hair and held her.

She felt like her very soul was about to splinter into a thousand piecess. Her body molded perfectly to his. Her arms automatically circled his neck. He leaned his head closer, lips barely touching her neck.

"Just once, say the words. Just tell me you love me." She could hear his voice straining, holding back, one breath away from breaking. She felt as if someone had just filled her insides with ice. She wanted to say it… To tell him the truth…

"Damon…" He pulled away and looked intently into her dark brown eyes, wet with unshed tears. "No…" She said suddenly and looked away. "I have to go."

She felt completely devoid of warmth as she pulled away from his embrace. Her heartbeat echoed in her empty chest. She stopped at the doorway, but couldn't turn to face him.

"Don't try to find me. Don't come see me again. But don't forget that you are capable of feeling. You can be happy someday… Good bye, Damon."

She was gone. The smell of her perfume still hung in the air, clung to his clothes. He stood motionless in the moonlight. The wind had stopped. A deadly quiet filled the air and his hands started shaking. He took a long calming breath and turned to face the darkness of the night. He flipped the switch.

AN: Once again, thank you so much for reading. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think so I can continue to improve. Feel free to leave me any ideas for a short piece you would like to see and maybe I'll write it! Thanks, everyone!


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